What's the used Volkswagen Phaeton like?

The VW Phaeton's ambition was to attack luxury saloon cars such as the Mercedes S-Class and BMW 7 Series, but as a new car it just never had the necessary prestige to succeed.

As a used car, much of that remains true, of course, but that relative lack of desirability does have one very welcome side effect: incredibly cheap prices. Compared with those rivals, the Phaeton is several thousand pounds cheaper.

That doesn't mean it's missing out on comfort or equipment, though. It has enormous space in the cabin (for rear-seat passengers in particular), a huge boot, superb build quality and pretty much every piece of luxury and safety equipment you can think of.

If there is a disappointment, it's that it isn't more exciting to drive. Instead, the emphasis is on smoothness and refinement, with a comfortable ride rather than sharper handling, and steering that's short of feel.